Fitness for all ages and stages from a girl who's made all the mistakes and talks about them here. Lots of oversharing, which hopefully leads to lots of encouragement and heart connection.

Sunday, January 18, 2009

Stress can make you thin!

(Katie posted the link where you can submit your picture and have it "Obama-ized." I wrote that I'd love to do it, but I just don't have time. So Katie sent me this picture. Way to make my day, Katie!)

It's the middle of the night, and although I need sleep, it's just not working for me right now. My dad's still in the hospital. He is getting better, but they're just not ready to send him home. So every day I've been at my parents house for 6 - 8 hours, caring for my mom, and trying to clean up 40 years of accumulated stuff. The good news is that my appetite is practically gone, and even though I've barely exercised this week (no time and no energy) I'm losing weight. The bad news is that, try as I might, it's hard to feel like I'm making progress when the job I've undertaken is so big.

There have been some funny discoveries in my attempt to make their house more livable. I came across some Weight Watchers magazines from the mid-1970's with the subtitle, "The Magazine for Attractive People." My how our language has changed! This same issue had an article answering the question "Is exercise necessary for weight loss?" with an emphatic NO. I'm sure I'll find more pearls of wisdom when I have the time to read it thoroughly.

Tomorrow Tim and the kids are going snowboarding. I wish I could go, but my brother and I have been splitting the task of caring for our mother, and I'm on lunch and dinner detail. In the morning though I'm running with the Folsom Trail Runners group for the first time. Twenty people are signed up for the run, and you run however far you want to run. I'm looking forward to doing something that's not related to organizing!

I don't know how this bodes for my 50K in February. Ideally I'd be running long this weekend. But that's just not in the cards for me. I know that taking a rest week is probably good. But I'm feeling nervous about the distance...

Finally, I need to complete my NASM CEUs to recertify. Before my dad's surgery, my plan was to be studying this week. Now I've got just two weeks to complete three CEU courses. I was a good student and a great test taker in high school and college. Let's hope that's still true today, as I've definitely got my work cut out for me in taking "Understanding Kinetic Chain Dysfunction", "Fitness and Aging", and "Speed, Agility, and Quickness Training."

Sleep is important - but you already know that...Take care of yourself - u sound way to busy!PS. My hubby bought me a little 10lb KB to go along with my 15 lb so I can now practice my over head swings and the TGU. Thanks again for all the info.

Technically you can lose weight without exercise, but whether you could lose much, or even if it would be the right kind of weight loss, would remain largely unknown, without solid testing procedures on subjects.

You'll be fine, just keep believing in yourself, and don't worry about it.

You are someone with good headspace management, and you'll get through anything.

believe me. i know all about stress weight loss. but u have to eat. dont do what i did when i took my little break from reality 7months back. u need to try and keep eating and if you're cleaning 40 yrs worth of parents crap- u are exercising. thats work and u need calories even if your stress level says dont eat. keep plowing through.

"The good news is that my appetite is practically gone, and even though I've barely exercised this week (no time and no energy) I'm losing weight."

Uhhhh . . . sounds like "stinkin' thinkin'" to me. No doubt you're losing muscle, and while stress can make you "lose weight," it can make you lose a lot more too -- like health and sanity. Nutrition, rest, and support (human and spiritual) are all vital right now. If you have to put off the 50k, so be it. Please take care of YOU! Believe me, you won't be good for anyone if you're not good to you first.